One incredible experience

December 7th, 2011 | Lauren Simms

Yesterday marked one of the best experiences of my entire life. I met Ryan Seacrest. That four-word sentence would be enough to allow me to end this blog, and it could be one of the best blogs I’ve ever written, but I’ve decided to go further on details. Along with being a full-time student, working in the Admissions Office at Evangel, and babysitting for eight different families, I am also the intern for a Christian radio station (99HitFM) here in Springfield. As a Communications major, we are required to have an internship, but I never thought for one second that I would have the opportunity to have an internship like this one; it’s a huge blessing. I co-host the morning show, update the station’s Twitter and Facebook, and do whatever else needs to be done. Occasionally, I even make coffee.

Yesterday I was able to do a live broadcast at the American Idol Auditions in St. Louis, Missouri. When I got there, I was given a FOX Media Pass along with the other TV/Radio stations there; trust me, that sticker badge made me feel both important and official. I had on headphones (in which I could hear what was going on at the morning show), carried a Comrex (which allowed me to be able to hear, talk, and connect to the morning show), and held a microphone (to interview all the “uniquely dressed” people you see on TV). With all that, I set off to interview a few of the 10,000 people that were packed in between the two barriers that led almost to the Arch.

After six interviews, I had seen a girl dressed in a poofy black and red tutu and had had one guy completely yank the microphone out of my hand to lead the crowd in song. I then headed over to the press conference with the rest of the media staff to meet Ryan Seacrest. There were probably ten to fifteen people that were a part of the media, myself included. We, for the most part, had free reign in asking questions (except anything involving the judges). Questions like, “What do you expect this season?” and “What exactly are you looking for?” started being asked, so I asked something different. “Ryan, do you ever find time to sleep?” I asked before I could realize what came out of my mouth or the fact that it could be taken as an insult. “Do I look like I haven’t gotten any sleep?” He replied with a lively smirk on his face. Everyone laughed and the tense air left the small crowd; afterwards, he posed with me for a picture (in which I am going to blow up to an 8×11 and treasure it forever). When I got home, I tweeted that picture on the 99HitFM Twitter and come to find out, Ryan’s Radio page in the United Kingdom re-tweeted it. Another picture of Ryan and I also made the KPLR11 News website in St. Louis.

Above the fact that I met, interviewed, hugged, and talked to Ryan Seacrest, I saw 10,000 people going after their dreams. One guy told me, “Dreams are made for going after, if you don’t follow your dream then why have one?” So all of you Evangel staff members, students, prospective students, or anyone else reading this, if you have a dream, go after it with everything inside of you.

I just ask one small thing … please don’t do it in a red and black tutu.

Lauren Simms

Communication Studies Major | Class of 2013

Lauren, a Communication Studies major, is a commuter student from Springfield, Missouri. She is a work-study for Marketing Enrollment, a member of a START team, and an EU Student Host. She encourages students to study hard, get involved and enjoy every minute.

About Evangel

Evangel is an accredited, liberal arts university with more than 100 academic programs on the cutting edge of today's professional fields. Our commitment to the integration of faith, learning and life attracts students from a wide variety of Christian denominational backgrounds who have a strong commitment to academics with a desire to combine their Christian faith with every aspect of their lives.